Of the numerous romantic notions surrounding the writing life, perhaps none dies harder than that of the solitary, ink-stained wretch plugging away at his or her latest work in some dilapidated garret, alone and unnoticed and oblivious to what's going on around him or her. Writing may be a solitary act, but as any intellectually honest writer can tell you, writers need communities: first, because the realities of today's writing life necessitate that one be... more ›

MONDAY: A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and the wife of Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, Connie Schultz will be at Politics and Prose to discuss her book ... And His Lovely Wife, which is her behind-the-scenes look at Brown's campaign and their marriage. 7 p.m. In Last One In, Nicholas Kulish, who was embedded with a Marine attack-helicopter squadron for the Wall Street Journal, spins a slightly unbelievable tale of a gossip columnist who ends up covering... more ›

One of those longstanding D.C. arguments may be finally coming to a resolution, and you can feel the excitement in the air this morning, Washington. No, it's not the handgun ban, or taxicab meters, or anything to do with voting rights -- but there sure are a lot of longstanding arguments in this town, now that we mention it. Rather, metro riders should keep their eyes peeled for two railcars that will soon be sporting... more ›

Good morning, D.C. Did you have a good weekend dodging and weaving between all those digestive disease specialists in town? We couldn't help but be impressed by the sea of 20,000 be-purple backpacked conference attendees, and kept hoping we'd meet one or two who could explain to us exactly what Crohn's Disease is anyway. WJLA was kind enough to remind us that Digestive Disease Week will have brought in $32 million to the District when... more ›

As sunny weather descends (or perhaps that should be in the past tense, now that we look out the window) on the Washington area, DCist’s thoughts turn to the plethora of outdoor activities that will soon be made not only possible, but enjoyable, by the temperate days. If you're like us, you look forward to spring because it means the annual renaissance of local farmers' markets. If you call yourself a Washingtonian, you're already... more ›

Back in January, the new Congress passed revamped ethics rules theoretically intended in part to minimize the influence of lobbyists on lawmakers and their staff. How our elected representatives hate lobbyists, with their wee beady eyes and those smug looks on their faces. "Oh, you're gonna vote for ethanol subsidies, oh!" How can they hate lobbyists? The lobbyists put addictive chemicals -- money, swag, and trips -- in their dealings with lawmakers that make them crave lobbyist contact fortnightly, smartass. Without the new ethics rules in place, our lawmakers are completely unable to determine right from wrong on their own -- powerless to resist the lavish meals and international excursions thrown at them in tacit exchange for their votes. more ›

Well, we suppose it makes sense. Just like a store-owner wouldn't want customers to use their products without actually buying them, the Washington Business Journal is going all Wall Street Journal on us and putting their online content behind a door open only to print subscribers. As of Monday, July 24, the city's business publication of note will no longer be a resource for freeloaders like us. Phooey. Are we going to pay to get to their stuff? Heck no. It's not like they have Maureen Dowd to offer us. more ›

Good morning, D.C. It's nearly May, and you know what that means: the region is once again being gripped by baby duck fever. Apparently. It seems that a year ago we were on pins and needles waiting for news of hatching from a nest near the Treasury Department, a nest that was assigned its own security detail. And right on schedule, the Washington Times brings us word of another increase in the city's duckling population. Kaine Takes Aim At Gas Prices: Yesterday Virginia Governor Tim Kaine said that he didn't expect the state legislature to present him with a gas tax increase. Now he's preparing to fight escalating gas prices with new anti-gouging powers that will go into effect July 1, reports WTOP. However, the governor was quick to point out that he wasn't accusing any particular fuel retailers of gouging. With most of the recent price changes coming from higher in the supply chain, it's questionable whether Kaine's use of the anti-gouging measure would — or could — have much of an effect. Md. Teacher Named Best In Nation: Congratulations to Montgomery County's own Kimberly Oliver, who, as WUSA informs us, has won the National Teacher of the Year award. The prize is considered to be the top honor for our country's teachers. President Bush will present Oliver with the recognition today. There must be something about area teachers -- a D.C. public school teacher took the award last year. Stadium Bonds Receive Low Rating: The bonds needed to finance the construction of the new $611 million baseball stadium have received low ratings from Wall Street bond rating firms, notes WJLA. Fitch, Standard & Poor's and Moody's agreed that the business tax is the only reliable stream of revenue to ensure that investors are paid back, and they gave the bonds mediocre rating between triple-B and triple-B-plus. "Grandma's" Alleged Attacker Stands Trial: The Post reports on the progress of the case against James Dorsey, the man accused of brutally attacking and robbing the Foggy Bottom street vendor known by many as "Grandma." The attack occurred nearly a year ago, and was captured on video. Yesterday's opening statements in the trial focused on that video, with the defense maintaining that it is inconclusive and that Dorsey's confession was obtained under duress. Prosecutor Jonathan Haray acknowledged that the video doesn't allow for a definite ID, but expressed confidence in his case. Briefly Noted: Reward increased for information about slaying of 9 year-old... Good news for Maryland teachers, wine lovers and equine-transport-safety enthusiasts... Labor complaint filed against the Post... Pricey artwork damaged by Georgetown fire... Taco Bell worker could face up to ten years for spitting in drink... This Day In DCist: One year ago today the proposed new hospital was already running into trouble. And we were unwittingly getting ourselves into trouble of our own, as we prepared for a happy hour at Chief Ike's that ended up being a little too much fun. more ›

Washington loves the color red. It’s the color of choice for power-tie and power-suit wearing Hill types, and, of course, we all like reading about said Hill folk getting caught red-handed and red-faced. But on Friday, the color takes on a different meaning for National Wear Red Day, part of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign, which aims to raise awareness of heart disease as the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. more ›

So, The United States is preparing to develop methods for generating fuel from switch grass. I don't know what switch grass is, but my gut tells me it's a lot like brush, and Bush stands to make a killing off this whole arrangement. There is a Better Way: So, Washington was host once more to the State of the Union. We continue to marvel at the fact that once a year, at a predictable time... more ›

We've talked the new stadium into the ground, but with the news last week that District officials and MLB had reached an agreement on a new lease, we were hopeful that enough concessions were granted and desires met to allow the D.C. Council to give their stamp of approval next week. But that would be far too simple. Buried in the Post's initial article on the revised lease agreement was a token quote by the... more ›

Just one man's opinion, but now is a good time to say it: The New York Times is not any longer -- in my mind -- the greatest newspaper in the land. Nor is it the base line for the public narrative that it once was. Some time in the least year or so I moved the Washington Post into that position ... The Post, I believe, is our great national newspaper now; the Times is number two, with the Wall Street Journal close behind. Still a strong fleet. With a new ship in the lead perhaps it will sail to unexpected places.

Over at the DCKickball blog the players seem to resent being in the shadow of the WAKA league. Our last post about kickball summarized a City Paper cover story on the "war" between the two leagues, and elicited some comments, including one who observed the events were "Once again proving the point that white professional DC is the home of high school ex-student body vice presidents," and another upon hearing about the length of time spent drinking after games asks "should you at least spend time PLAYING the sport?!" more ›

A faithful DCist tipster sends us this camera phone image from the 24th Street Barnes and Noble in Billings, Mont. While no other national newspapers aside from USA Today and The Wall Street Journal have seemed to have made their way into south central Montana, just below Shotgun News is ... The Washington Times. more ›

For this Presidents Day installment of DCist's ongoing series featuring overlooked local monuments, we asked ourselves: Who was the worst president of all time? It is always popular to maintain that the current officeholder is it, especially these days. But it's worth looking a bit further back to consider the legacy of James Buchanan, our 15th president, who nonetheless managed to rate a memorial. Buchanan can be found along the eastern wall of the Italian-inspired... more ›

It wouldn’t be fair to say that Washington, D.C., spent the past week swept up in "State of the Union Fever." After all, with the Inauguration only a few weeks past, there’s something about a SOTU that seems ... so yesterday. It’s been years since a president ascended the congressional pulpit to suggest that the State of our Union was anything other than straight-up applejack goodness for everyone and everybody, and the last one who... more ›

The Wall Street Journal examined today the heated competition between Chinese-owned bus companies and Greyhound buses between major U.S. cities. The stiff competition with newcomers has put Greyhound in a tight spot and forced them to cut prices between D.C., New York, and Boston. In Boston the companies have even won a spot in that city's South Station bus terminal, although their buses aren't yet listed on the television screens. more ›